Gou Zai Wudao Shicheng Dao

Just then, a deafening roar rang out.

The roar was filled with ferocity; it belonged to the mid-level Ironback Ape demon!

Ji Baiyue, Han Zhiqi, and Feng Heng were engaged in a fierce battle with it.

The clash of swords and the roar of blood filled the air.

The middle-ranking iron-backed ape demon was covered in glossy black fur.

Its eyes are fierce, and its intelligence far surpasses that of ordinary demon beasts.

It waved its giant hand, the wind from which thunder roared, and the ground cracked inch by inch, with rubble flying everywhere.

"Zhi Qiu, you control it from the left, attack its joints, and disrupt its rhythm!" Ji Baiyue held a long sword and moved nimbly.

While dodging the attacks of the Ironback Ape Demon, he gave commands in a deep voice.

"Feng Heng, you engage it head-on and draw its attention. I'll look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow!"

"Okay!" Han Zhiqi and Feng Heng agreed in unison.

Han Zhi Qiu moved with the agility of a raccoon, his Water-Splitting Sword gleaming with cold light.

They kept stabbing at the Ironback Ape Demon's weak points, and although they couldn't break through its defenses, they successfully restrained its movements.

Holding a long spear, Feng Heng confronted the Iron-Backed Ape Demon head-on.

With each collision, Feng Heng was jolted backward, his arms went numb, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His cultivation level was the weakest among the three, barely reaching the initial stage of the Inner Refinement Heavenly Ladder.

Facing a mid-level demon was already proving somewhat difficult.

"You beast, cease your arrogance!" Ji Baiyue seized the opportunity, his figure suddenly leaping up, his long sword emitting a blinding white light, the sword energy whistling as it cleaved straight at the head of the Ironback Ape demon.

This strike, imbued with the full power of his blood and qi, was his strongest attack.

A cunning glint flashed in the eyes of the Ironback Ape Demon. Instead of taking the blow head-on, it suddenly dodged to the side.

At the same time, the giant hand slammed down on Feng Heng, clearly indicating that it had determined that Feng Heng was the weakest of the three.

They wanted to pick on the weakest link first, kill Feng Heng, and then defeat them one by one!

"Feng Heng, watch out!" Han Zhiqi's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly swung his sword to rush to the rescue, but it was too late.

Feng Heng's face turned deathly pale, and he thought to himself, "This is bad!"

With no way to avoid it, he could only grip his spear tightly and brace himself to meet the attack head-on.

At this critical moment, Ji Baiyue turned sharply, swept his long sword horizontally, and forcefully blocked Feng Heng's path.

The longsword clashed with the giant hand of the Ironback Ape demon.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, a shockwave exploded outwards, and Ji Baiyue groaned, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, staggering back several steps.

"Senior Brother!" Feng Heng, his face full of guilt, hurriedly stepped forward to help Ji Baiyue up. "It's all my fault. My strength is too weak, and I dragged you all down!"

"Enough with the nonsense!" Ji Baiyue shoved Feng Heng aside, his eyes still sharp. "This beast is at its last gasp. Let's join forces and kill it now!"

The three fought side by side once again. Han Zhiqi held the enemy back, Feng Heng fought head-on with all his might, and Ji Baiyue looked for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Although the Ironback Ape Demon was cunning and tyrannical, after a long battle, its energy and blood had been greatly depleted, and its movements had slowed down.

Ji Baiyue seized the opening, suddenly closing in and thrusting his long sword straight at the man's throat.

Han Zhiqi simultaneously swung his sword, aiming for his eyes, while Feng Heng thrust his spear straight into his chest.

The three attacks struck simultaneously, and the Ironback Ape Demon let out a shrill scream.

His body convulsed violently, and the ferocity in the Ironback Ape Demon's eyes gradually faded, replaced by resentment.

Even on its deathbed, it remained undeterred.

With its last ounce of strength, it slammed its giant hand down on Feng Heng, trying to drag him down with it.

"Watch out!" Ji Baiyue and Han Zhiqi shouted at the same time, trying to rush to their aid, but it was too late.

Just then, Ning Tianyang's voice came, and a powerful surge of blood energy struck from afar, forcefully repelling the Ironback Ape Demon.

A hint of despair flashed in the eyes of the Ironback Ape Demon, and its body crashed to the ground, completely lifeless.

Feng Heng, still shaken, looked at the fallen Ironback Ape Demon and let out a long sigh of relief, his face full of relief at surviving a disaster.

Ji Baiyue and Han Zhiqi also breathed a sigh of relief. Both of them had chaotic auras and had paid a considerable price.

With the fall of the mid-level Ironback Ape Demon, the remaining Ironback Ape Demons, leaderless, were no longer a threat.

The disciples of Sanyang Hall were greatly encouraged, and they advanced in formation, steadily annihilating the remaining demonic beasts.

The fierce battle lasted for two hours. When the last Ironback Ape monster fell in a pool of blood, the Great Rift Valley finally returned to peace.

Although Sanyangtang won a great victory in this battle, it also paid a heavy price.

Three disciples tragically perished, all wounded by the Ironback Ape demon beast's dying counterattack. Their injuries were too severe to be reversed.

Ning Tianyang walked down the high ground and looked at the three disciples who had fallen to the ground. His expression was solemn and his eyes were full of regret.

He remained silent for a long time before speaking in a deep voice: "Take stock of the spoils of war, treat the wounded, and collect the remains of the dead."

After the autumn hunt, bring it back to Sanyang Hall for a proper burial.

The disciples obeyed and left, and soon the results of the battle were tallied.

In addition to the materials from the thirty-seven Ironback Ape monsters, the group also picked forty-eight Iron Bone Flowers from the rocky cliffs of the rift valley.

Those are excellent medicinal materials for tempering muscles and bones, and are of great benefit to martial artists who are skilled in strengthening their muscles and bones.

In addition, seven pieces of Xuanhuo Crystal were found in the Ironback Ape's lair. These are excellent materials for forging superior weapons and are quite valuable.

It is estimated that the total value of resources harvested from the Battle of the Great Rift Valley was a full 32,000 taels of silver.

In the battle merit statistics of the Sanyang Hall disciples, Fang Xia's three-person team killed three Ironback Apes.

Fang Xia played a decisive role, ranking first in battle merit among all disciples at the Pi Guan realm.

This result surprised everyone in the Sanyang Hall, and many disciples looked at Fang Xia with astonishment.

No one expected that Fang Xia, with his advanced cultivation level, would achieve such a dazzling result in the autumn hunt.

After the battle of the Great Rift Valley, the members of the Sanyang Hall took a short rest.

Then head to the withered swamp.

Having learned their lesson from the Great Rift Valley, the members of the Sanyang Hall became more cautious, strictly following Ning Tianyang's plan, advancing in formation and supporting each other.

The withered swamp was muddy and slippery, filled with miasma, where black water crocodiles lurked, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, waiting for an opportunity to ambush.

Ji Baiyue, Han Zhiqi, and Feng Heng joined forces to confront two black water crocodile demons in the swamp.

One is a mid-level demon, and the other is a low-level demon.

Having gained experience from their previous collaboration, the three worked together with even greater coordination this time.

With a calm mind, he quickly killed the two demons.

The remaining twenty-six Blackwater Crocodile monsters were also wiped out by Fang Xia and the other disciples of the Sanyang Hall.

The battle at the withered swamp also brought considerable gains to the Sanyang Hall.

In addition to the materials from the black water crocodile, they also panned for thirty catties of dark iron sand from the swamp.

Thanks to everyone's cautious actions, only three disciples sustained minor injuries in this battle, and no one perished.

It is worth mentioning that Lin You performed exceptionally well in this battle, single-handedly killing two Blackwater Crocodile monsters.

Among the disciples of the Skin and Flesh Pass, Lin You ranked first in battle merits, slightly ahead of Fang Xia.

With the Poisonous Miasma Forest, the Great Rift Valley, and the Withered Swamp cleared out, the main tasks of the Sanyang Hall's autumn hunt have been largely completed.

Only the 'Black Wind Ridge' remains!

The members of Sanyangtang gathered at the edge of the swamp, counting their autumn hunt spoils, their faces beaming with joy.

According to statistics, the total value of the resources harvested in the three locations was a full 100,000 taels of silver!

"One hundred thousand taels! This is an unprecedented windfall!" You Qian shouted excitedly, holding his double hammers.

"Now, our Sanyang Hall can finally take a break!"

The disciples began to discuss among themselves, their voices filled with anticipation, each calculating how much silver they would receive.

Zhou Cheng stood aside, watching everyone's excited expressions, and a gratified smile appeared on his face: "Master announced the distribution rules before he set off. Let's calculate how much we can get."

Fang Xia nodded, thinking to herself, "This money has come at just the right time!"

His face also showed anticipation.

Zhou Cheng slowly said, "According to the rules, 40% of the harvested resources must first be handed over to the Demon Suppression Division and the county government."

Forty percent of the 100,000 taels is 40,000 taels, and the remaining 60,000 taels belong to our Sanyang Hall.

Of these 60,000 taels, the master will take half, which is 30,000 taels.

The remaining 30,000 taels will be our disciples' share of the profits.

"Thirty thousand taels?" You Qian's eyes lit up. "How much will we, the external disciples, get?"

Zhou Cheng continued, "These 30,000 taels should first be distributed to Senior Brother Ji, Senior Brother Han, and Senior Brother Feng, who are at the Inner Refinement Heavenly Ladder Realm."

They were the main force in this autumn hunt, slaying demons and taking the greatest risks, and deserved a larger share.

Master said before that the inner cultivation disciples get half, which is 15,000 taels, and the remaining 15,000 taels are for us outer cultivation disciples.

We have eighty-seven external disciples, with Pi Guan being the most numerous.

Even if they were all martial artists from Piguan, each of them would still receive at least forty taels of silver.

Forty taels of silver is a considerable sum for a poor student, enough to support his cultivation for half a year.

Many disciples of Pi Guan smiled with excitement upon hearing this.

Zhou Cheng turned his gaze to Fang Xia, a gratified smile appearing on his face: "Junior Brother Fang, you have made great contributions in the Great Rift Valley and also performed well in the Poisonous Miasma Forest."

"For two meritorious service awards, according to the distribution rules, you are entitled to one hundred and twenty taels of silver."

Fang Xia was overjoyed: "One hundred and twenty taels! That far exceeds my expectations!"

He clenched his fists tightly, quickly calculating: "With this 120 taels, plus the 400 taels I got from Huang Laizi..."

"When I break through to the Bronze Skin Realm in the future, I'll have much more money to spare for purchasing pills and precious meat!"

Although pleased, Fang Xia remained calm and composed, nodding slightly as he said to Zhou Cheng, "Haha, my gains are all thanks to taking advantage of the autumn hunt."

"Without Master Ning's protection and guidance, and the concerted efforts of all my fellow disciples, I would not have achieved such results."

Lin You, who was standing to the side, heard that Fang Xia would receive 120 taels of silver, and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

During this autumn hunt, he distinguished himself in the withered swamp and the Great Rift Valley, earning slightly more merit than Fang Xia and receiving 150 taels of silver.

Zhang Yuan, who was not far away, instantly turned gloomy, his eyes filled with jealousy and hatred.

He secretly calculated that he had only killed one Ironback Ape demon beast this time.

At most, they could get fifty taels of silver, less than half of what Fang Xia received.

"Why? Why should Fang Xia get 120 taels?"

"My talent is no less than his; I'm just unlucky!"

Zhang Yuan was consumed by jealousy, and his gaze toward Fang Xia was filled with resentment.

He secretly vowed to himself that he would find a chance to get revenge on Fang Xia.

He always considered himself intelligent and looked down on Fang Xia.

I always felt that Fang Xia's progress was just due to good luck.

But at this moment, Fang Xia's achievements and bonuses were a slap in the face to him.

But he refused to admit that he was inferior to others, and vented all his dissatisfaction and jealousy on Fang Xia.